Boycotted by the Football League

July 18, 1892
The Liverpool Association Football Club, like several other organisations, can now claim the distinction of being boycotted by the Football League. Whether the English Association whose duty it is to protect the interests of the clubs affiliated with it, will stand quietly by while these petty attempts at despotism are being practised still remains to be seen.

The ostensible ground for the application of the boycott is that Liverpool have been tampering with Alfred Shelton of Notts. As a matter of fact Shelton voluntarily applied to the Liverpool secretary for an engagement, but Mr William Barclay declined to open negotiations with him at all without the previous sanction of Mr Browne, the Notts secretary. Mr Browne on being communicated with refused his consent and the matter ended there.

Yet upon flimsy grounds like these the League considers it just and politic to enforce the boycott. Had the Liverpool officials chosen they might have engaged a team second to none and consisting entirely of League players, but they declined to tamper with such players, and yet, after resisting many tempting baits they find themselves punished in this way.

Truly, justice is not an article largely dealt in by the League. I shall not be surprised; however, if that body were to see the error of its way and withdraw its sentence of excommunication, before many weeks are over.(Source: Field Sport: July 18, 1892)